"My research group is currently focusing on the greatly understudied pharmacology of some of the many unique and fascinating compounds called phytocannabinoids that are produced by cannabis. We are investigating the pharmacology both of synthetic cannabinoids and of endocannabinoids – these are chemicals produced naturally by our own tissues to reduce the severity or unwanted effects of MS"

‘The main objective of this pharmacological research is to identify potential new therapeutic uses for phytocannabinoids, some of which can already be prescribed by doctors to reduce cancer pain or the spasticity and pain of multiple sclerosis.Click here to read more

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MEDICAL MARIJUANA GAVE ME MY LIFE BACK!

When I was 19 I smoked marijuana for the first time. I remember cruising with my primo and some homies and they said they were going to get high. I was scared I had never tried it and didn’t know what it would do to me, but I didn’t want them to know this so I asked if I could try. When it was my turn to hit the joint I inhaled but not into my lungs just into my cheeks. One of my homeboys laughed at me and showed me the proper way to inhale. I started coughing and thought I was going to suffocate. But lo and behold I survived. We sat there in the car smoking it out. When the joint was gone I sat there waiting for something to happen. I was more talkative while everyone else was quiet.
Weed made me talkative and not only that, it relaxed my body. I had never felt better. The pain that I was already used to slowly went away. That day was one of the best days of my life I had no pain. I became a pot head. My family disapproved so I kept it hidden. For years I smoked the only thing I didn’t like was it sometimes gave me a headache.

This is according to new alternative treatment guidelines released by the American Academy of Neurology. The guidelines on complementary and alternative medicine, or CAM, treatments for MS were published Monday in the journal Neurology and are among the first from a national medical organization to suggest that doctors might offer cannabis treatment to patients.

Rheumatologists should not currently be recommending the use of medical marijuana to their patients for relief of chronic pain, researchers stated. Among the reasons for this advice are acute and chronic risks, a lack of evidence for efficacy, and the absence of data on appropriate dosing, according toMary-Ann Fitzcharles, MD, of McGill University in Montreal, and colleagues.

Spasticity scores on the modified Ashworth scale dropped by an average 2.74 points more with smoked cannabis than with a placebo, researchers at the University of California San Diego found, reports Crystal Phend at MedPage Today.

A difference or two or more points is considered clinically meaningful on the 30-point Ashworth scale which covers mobility of elbows, hips, and knees, report Jody Corey-Bloom, M.D., Ph.D., and colleagues at UCSD. The researchers reported their findings online in CMAJ.

Besides the positive effects on spasticity, pain scores decreased by about 50 percent as well, the researchers reported. “We saw a beneficial effect of smoked cannabis on treatment-resistant spasticity and pain associated with multiple sclerosis among our participants,” Corey-Bloom said.

The findings regarding smoked marijuana support anecdotal evidence from many MS patients who say smoking the herb relieves spasticity, the researchers noted. About 400,000 pepole in the United States have MS.

The body naturally produces cannabinoids, a group of chemicals also found in marijuana. Studies have suggested that the cannabinoid receptors on our cells help regulate muscle spasticity, reports Amy Norton of Reuters.

Massachusetts officials are nearing decisions on the licensing of medical marijuana dispensaries in the state. The Department of Public Health hopes to award as many as 35 licenses by the end of the month, choosing from among 100 groups that submitted final applications in November.

One pharmaceutical company could become the safest and most trusted of all cannabis dealers. Sativex is not available for use in the US market, it is available in 24 countries around the world, and GW is seeking to expand its use into the market.

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I'm April Barbosa! I'm a Columnist on MSnewsChannel.com and I want to tell other MSers why medical marijuana gave me my life back! SO here's my Column for today:When I was 19 I smoked marijuana for the first time. I remember cruising with my primo and some homies and they said they were going to get high. I was scared I had never tried it and didn’t know what it would do to me, but I didn’t want them to know this so I asked if I could try. When it was my turn to hit the joint I inhaled but not into my lungs just into my cheeks. One of my homeboys laughed at me and showed me the proper way to inhale. I started coughing and thought I was going to suffocate. But lo and behold I survived. We sat there in the car smoking it out. When the joint was gone I sat there waiting for something to happen. I was more talkative while everyone else was quiet.

Weed made me talkative and not only that, it relaxed my body. I had never felt better. The pain that I was already used to slowly went away. That day was one of the best days of my life I had no pain. I became a pot head. My family disapproved so I kept it hidden. For years I smoked the only thing I didn’t like was it sometimes gave me a headache.

When I turned 20 I became pregnant with my 3rd child and decided it was time to “grow up” and quit smoking. I had a well-paying job and my husband and I had just bought our first house. Even though life was going good I was constantly in pain. I kept going to my doctor over and over only to be told it may be psychosomatic systems caused by stress. Then I was finally diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis after years of testing. The doctors started me out on so many medications I can’t even remember half of the names but I do know most of them were for opiates for pain.I had to go on medical leave and eventually quit my job because the opiates left me out of it and not taking them left me in constant pain.

Latest on Spasticity: the untreated symptom of Multiple Sclerosis
Sativex® is an oral spray that relieved spasticity within four weeks of starting treatment in up to 50 percent of individuals who were resistant to other oral antispasticity drugs.READ MORE

It's a big change from a year ago, when there was no medical marijuana in the capital and elected officials weren't talking about relaxing recreational pot laws. Now, there are three tightly regulated marijuana dispensaries in the city, although there aren't many patients yet. Read More

MY COLUMN TODAY IS ABOUT HOW I WOKE UP WITH ONE OF THE WORST PAINS MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS CAN BRING: TRIGEMINAL NEURALGIA! AND HOW I DECIDED TO APPLY FOR A MEDICAL MARIJUANA CARD!

The process was difficult for me at first because I lived in a very very small town where all the doctors had agreed that they would not allow their patients to use marijuana medically. I felt so depressed. The doctor I asked to help me get certified instead offered to prescribe zanax and Oxycoton. I was disgusted by the fact that he felt it was ok to put me on addictive medications instead of this wonderful gift created by God.

I began researching ways I could get certified without including my family doctor. I found a new doctor at www.azmmjcc.com this wonderful clinic helped me by getting all my records from all the doctors I had been to. They then evaluated me themselves and determined I met the qualifications and approved my card.

It cost $150 for all the fees but it was very worth it. The first time I smoked medical marijuana I expected it to be exactly like the “black market” (lol) variety, but it wasn’t it was 20 times better! It took one hit to get me high. Just that one toke made my muscles relax and all the pain leave my body. I had bought Super Silver Haze a strain specifically for MS. It gave me energy and made me be able to think clearly. After that first high I knew I wanted to be an advocate for medical marijuana. I no longer was tired, groggy with medicine head all the time, now I was alert, energetic and pain free. That is why I say Medical marijuana gave me my life back.

Mike Graham with medications he used to take
for degenerative disc disease. Graham began using medical marijuana about five years ago, which allowed him to stop using most of the pharmaceuticals for pain relief. Research has yet to nail down if, and how, the drug works on specific diseases. Even though 20 states have passed laws legalizing medical marijuana, swayed in part by thousands of personal testimonies, current research hasn’t nailed down exactly if, and how, marijuana alleviates all the specific diseases the drug is being legalized to treat, experts say.

The Journal of Neuroimmune Pharmacology has published a study showing that marijuana contains chemical compounds that could help treat Multiple Sclerosis-like diseases by preventing inflammation in the spinal cord and brain.

For this particular study the researcher's, Drs. Ewa Kozela, Ana Juknat, Neta Rimmerman and Zvi Vogel of Tel Aviv University's, and Dr. Miriam and Sheldon G. Adelson from the Center for the Biology of Addictive Diseases and Sackler Faculty of Medicine, took immune cells isolated from paralyzed mice that specifically target and harm the brain and spinal cord, and treated them with either CBD or THC.

In both instances, the laboratory mice's immune cells created fewer inflammatory molecules, principally one

A new study, led by Tel Aviv University‘s Dr. Miriam and Sheldon G. Adelson Center for the Biology of Addictive Diseases and Sackler Faculty of Medicine, reveals some of the chemical compounds found in marijuana can help treat MS-like diseases in mice. The research team, which included scientists from Tel Aviv University and the Weizmann Institute of Science, said the compounds prevent inflammation in the brain and spinal cord. Their results were published in the Journal of Neuroimmune Pharmacology.

“Inflammation is part of the body’s natural immune response, but in cases like MS it gets out of hand,” says Dr. Ewa Kozela. “Our study looks at how compounds isolated from marijuana can be used to regulate inflammation to protect the nervous system and its functions.”

There is a strong tradition of marijuana research in Israel. For example, in 1964 Israeli scientists Raphael Mechoulam and Yechiel Gaoni discovered THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol. This kick-started the global scientific study of the plant and its chemical components. So far, around 70 compounds – called cannabinoids – have been identified that are unique to cannabis and have interesting biological effects. Professor Vogel, in the 1990s, was among the first to describe THC-acting molecules, called endocannabinoids, in the human body.

The second most plentiful and potent cannabinoid in marijuana, after THC, is cannabidiol, or CBD. CBD is of particular interest to the TAU researchers because it offers medicinal benefits without the controversial mind-altering effects of THC.

"Inflammation is part of the body's natural immune response, but in cases like MS it gets out of hand," says Kozela. "Our study looks at how compounds isolated from marijuana can be used to regulate inflammation to protect the nervous system and its functions." Researchers from the Weizmann Institute of Science co-authored the study.

I hate this body! This fucked up painful body
This tomb that imprisons me
The pain, too much pain
It overwhelms the senses and I crave a pain free moment I’ll never find
Meds meds meds fuck that give me the bong I wanna get high
Wanna lose this pain in a cloud of smoke I watch flow from my lungs into the clear blue sky
Pass me the joint let me hit that shit puff puff pass foo

Even if you were to track down the location and break into the computer-controlled greenhouse, the cannabis plants you would find at GW Pharmaceuticals' top-secret farm would be unlikely to give you the high you were hoping for.

The District would allow people to have up to 2 ounces of marijuana a month — enough for about a joint a day — for certain medical uses under a bill that moved closer to passage Tuesday.
The bill would not let patients grow their own marijuana, but a committee would study whether to allow home cultivation in the city and make a recommendation by 2012. The bill was approved by two city government committees. It still needs approval of the full D.C. Council to become law and could be approved as early as May.

This is a follow up to a story posted earlier this month.
Two state lawmakers called on Gov. Chris Christie today to pardon a Somerset County man sentenced to five years in prison for growing marijuana to treat his multiple sclerosis and commute his sentence to probation.
Senators Raymond Lesniak (D-Union) and Nicholas Scutari (D-Union) described the prison term facing John Ray Wilson as "cruel, unusual and unnecessary" in a letter written to the governor today. Wilson, 37, of Franklin Township, was sentenced to five years in prison last week after he was found guilty of second-degree manufacturing and third-degree drug possession by a jury in December.
To read the entire story, click here.

Donna Doak anxiously awaits the day when she can get a prescription for marijuana.
The Swedesboro nurse, who suffers from multiple sclerosis and spinal stenosis and is wheelchair-bound, said marijuana can ease her pain without the nasty side effects of her current medications.
"Now that it's been legalized, I want to pursue it," said Doak, who was among the roughly dozen people who attended a town hall meeting at the Collingswood Library sponsored by the Coalition for Medical Marijuana New Jersey. "I just think it's going to really enable me to have a better quality of life."

Sean Becker was a happy single father until his life turned upside down in January 2006.That's when he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, a degenerative disease that can eventually disable people. Two weeks earlier, Becker was snowboarding on the top of Kirkwood ski resort, having the time of his life.
But later that month, he lost his balance and vomited frequently, and he spent three weeks in the hospital.

Dr. Phillip Leveque Salem-News.com
CONFIRMED SAFE & EFFECTIVE: SURPRISE!
Salem-News.com
(MOLALLA, Ore.) - I had heard rumors about studies conducted in the past ten years that the California Legislature had spent several million dollars on, to confirm that marijuana/cannabis was really a safe, effective drug --but it smelled fishy to me.
As it has been used for at least 4,000 years by at least 400 million people who weren’t stoned “staring at the spots on the wall” but getting good relief, one would wonder if those studies were real.

Marijuana helps ease muscle spasms caused by multiple sclerosis and pain caused by certain neurological illnesses or spinal cord injuries, says a report released Wednesday by the Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research at the University of California, San Diego. ...read report in EmpowHER

After California became the first state to allow medical use of marijuana, legislators decided in 1999 to fund research that was supposed to figure out what the drug was good for therapeutically. Now we have an answer: a report issued today says it seems to ease some types of pain, and maybe muscle spasticity from multiple sclerosis.Read the rest of the article here on blogs.wsj.com.

Tuesday, May 27, 2014

We found that certain forms of marijuana -- pills and oral spray, primarily -- were useful in treating some systems of multiple sclerosis, especially spasticity, pain, central pain and painful spasms, and overactive bladder. Medical marijuana was not found to help tremor in multiple sclerosis, nor did it reduce other bladder symptoms. There wasn't enough information to comment on whether smoked marijuana was useful. There were only 2 studies, and no conclusions could be reached from them.Click here to read

Thursday, March 20, 2014

Nancy Nangeroni, who says she has suffered neck, shoulder, and back pain since a 2004 auto accident brought her medical records with her in a visit to Dr. Joey Rottman to get certified for medical marijuana.

The waiting room of Integr8, a new type of medical practice that opened in a Burlington office building last October, was crowded with patients. One leaned on a walker, another gripped a plastic grocery bag filled with pill bottles. There were twentysomethings and senior citizens. Many were drawn there by the same thing: medical marijuana.

In the AMA, Gupta tried to dispel some medical myths about pot and pointed out that it’s safer than many narcotic pain pills that doctors prescribe.Gupta has waged a campaign to change perceptions about pot and argue for its medical legalization since he changed his opinion on the issue in August.Here are a few highlights:What are your thoughts towards using high percentage CBD strains to help people with Anxiety? Do you think that using CBD in combination with therapy could be effective and less dangerous than other drugs such as Prozac or Xanax?I think so. We have a better understanding of how CBD works in the brain, and the receptors where it binds. There are many prescription drugs that have a much higher risk than cannabis, but are prescribed often. Narcotics, in particular. We consume 80% of the world’s pain meds in the United States.What is the best method of marijuana ingestion?It is probably vaporizing. I think smoking creates a lot of byproducts that we don’t know enough about. I think eating it leads to very uneven absorption. Vaporizing seems to activate the medicine without burning it. I also think oils absorbed in the mouth are effective, especially for kids.

Robert Davidson’s multiple sclerosis left him unable to walk for 15 years. He had prescriptions for 13 different drugs – including high doses of morphine that left him feeling like a zombie.

Since 2000, however, when he started using cannabis as a medicine, his health has markedly improved. He is now “clean” from all those pharmaceuticals. He can walk again. He has rekindled a relationship with his children. Twenty years after his initial diagnosis, he can even skateboard and snowboard.

“I am able to take care of myself. You don’t know how empowering that is,” said the 50-year-old from Langley Township, B.C.

“It had been 15 years not going up the mountain, and now I can rip big air again.”

He believes marijuana helped put his MS in remission, a phenomenon observed in enough patients to attract the attention of researchers. Several studies have been conducted on the effects of marijuana for patients with MS, some suggesting it could be effective in protecting the nervous system against the disease’s advance.

If there was any doubt that the “green rush” is on in Colorado, the scene outside a marijuana industry career fair in Denver on Thursday looked like a throwback to the Great Recession.

Thousands of people waited for hours with resumes in hand in a line that stretched several blocks. The O.penVAPE Cannabis Job Fair featured 15 different businesses associated with recreational marijuana sales, and it had turn people away by the day’s end.

Thursday, March 13, 2014

Shawnee Anderson's voice is shrill, quavering -- on the edge of desperate. She clutches her 11-month-old son, Sage, while trying to comprehend the situation unfolding in front of her.Her boyfriend -- Sage's father, Aaron Hillyer -- is in handcuffs."Why are you doing this?" she pleads with police officers standing on the lawn outside her home."Your baby doesn't need to be subjected to marijuana," an officer replies, in an audio recording made by Anderson on her cell phone.But she could explain: Anderson and Hillyer have legal prescriptions for the marijuana in their home. His is prescribed for anxiety and chronic pain; hers for depression and anxiety."I told them we had our cards, our prescriptions," said Anderson, 27. "They didn't want to see them."Not long after that exchange, according to police video of the family's encounter, a social worker arrived at the home and decided to place Sage in foster care."I was pleading with them, 'Look, you guys, I understand your perception, but we are wonderful parents, hardworking members of our community,'" said Hillyer, 34."They could not conceive of the fact that you can be a wonderful parent, a decent human being, and medicate with marijuana."

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic degenerative disease of the central nervous system that causes inflammation, muscular weakness and a loss of motor coordination. Over time, MS patients typically become permanently disabled and, in some cases, the disease can be fatal. According to the US National Multiple Sclerosis Society, about 200 people are diagnosed every week with the disease -- often striking those 20 to 40 years of age.

Saturday, February 22, 2014

(CBS News) Smoking marijuana may provide relief from multiple sclerosis symptoms, a new study suggests. People with MS who smoked pot reported less pain and spasticity - or muscle tightness - but it came at the expense of their cognitive abilities, the study found.

NFL Commissioner Roger Godell said last week that he was not entirely opposed to allowing NFL players to use marijuana in places where it is not illegal

NFL players could soon be allowed to use marijuana to treat pain if they are in states where the drug has been legalized for either medical or recreational use, the league's commissioner said last week.

Currently, marijuana is on a list of banned substances prohibited under the NFL's substance abuse program.

However, the marijuana recently has been legalized for medical and recreational use in a number of states, including Colorado, Washington and Arizona. But because the drug is on the league's list of banned substances, players living in those states could face consequences from the NFL even if they are using the drug legally.

Pain: Much of Percy Harvin's career has been plagued by migraine headaches, which could be treated by medical marijuana

'I don't know what's going to develop as far as the next opportunity for medicine to evolve and to help either deal with pain or help deal with injuries but we will continue to support the evolution of medicine,' NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in an interview with the Associated Press on January 7. Marijuana has been approved in several states to treat varying ailments, including chronic pain. Given the addictive qualities of other pain medications NFL players often

Abstract: Inflammation in the central nervous system (CNS) is a complex process that involves a multitude of molecules and effectors, and it requires the transmigration of blood leukocytes across the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and the activation of resident immune cells. Cannabidiol (CBD), a non-psychotropic cannabinoid constituent of Cannabis sativa, has potent anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive properties. Yet, how this compound modifies the deleterious effects of inflammation in TMEV-induced demyelinating disease (TMEV-IDD) remains unknown. Using this viral model of multiple sclerosis (MS), we demonstrate that CBD decreases the transmigration of blood leukocytes by downregulating the expression of vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1), chemokines (CCL2 and CCL5) and the proinflammatory cytokine IL-1β, as well as by attenuating the activation of microglia. Moreover, CBD administration at the time of viral infection exerts long-lasting effects, ameliorating motor deficits in the chronic phase of the disease in conjunction with reduced microglial activation and pro-inflammatory cytokine production. Adenosine A2A receptors participate in some of the anti-inflammatory effects of CBD, as the A2A antagonist ZM241385 partially blocks the protective effects of CBD in the initial stages of inflammation. Together, our findings highlight the anti-inflammatory effects of CBD in this viral model of MS and demonstrate the significant therapeutic potential of this compound for the treatment of pathologies with an inflammatory component. Read more

Thursday, February 20, 2014

The Volcano Vaporizer has become a coveted status symbol for posh pot smokers, who say it draws out the drug's aroma like "the bouquet of a wine"

As the executive director of NORML, the leading lobbying organization for pot smokers’ rights, Allen St. Pierre gets asked a lot of strange questions. But the one he’s been getting lately is, “What is that metal thing they use onWeeds?”

The answer is the Volcano Vaporizer, a smokeless inhalation device that has recently shown up on both the Showtime series and HBO’s Bored to Death, in which a sexy stoner played by Jenny Slate lures Jason Schwartzman into her bedroom to test one out. (“Just squeeze down on that nipple and suck in the vapors,” she coaches him.) It’s even used at the renowned Chicago restaurant Alinea, albeit unconventionally, to pipe aromas of nutmeg and coffee to diners as they eat dessert.

The Volcano is affectionately known as the “Mercedes Benz” of toking up.

“If you live in Ohio, or if you’re a baby boomer who has no problem with cannabis, and you see them using that, you’re asking, ‘What’s going on?’” says Pierre. “There’s a veneer of sophistication to it. This is not your daddy’s bong.”